


Battling Doubt

by bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid



Series: Bughead Tumblr Prompts [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, friends doubting relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-23 12:05:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9656768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid/pseuds/bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid
Summary: "Can you write one about how each of bughead's friends keep doubting their feelings/relationship, but each and every time they keep proving them wrong?"Submitted anonymously





	1. Chapter 1

Archie thought that Jughead and Betty were confusing a close friendship with liking each other.

When Archie first found out that Jughead and Betty were seeing each other he was in shock. He had never seen this coming and he honestly couldn’t imagine them together. He couldn’t picture the two of them together any more than he could picture himself dating Betty. The three of them had been friends for so long, how could that possibly have changed?

Archie didn’t think that it would last. He was sure that Betty and Jughead would realize that they were better off as friends, after all they were weren’t they? Betty and Jughead were the best of friends, but Archie wasn’t so sure that could translate into a relationship.

High school was a confusing time and dating was even more confusing, Archie knew that firsthand. Maybe Jughead and Betty were confusing their feelings of friendship with something else. Maybe they really wanted to be in a relationship so they were forcing their feelings. Or maybe dating each other seemed like the safest choice in the crazy world of teenage dating.

Whatever the reason was, Archie was sure it wasn’t because they actually had fallen for each other. 

At least that is what he thought until he saw them one day at Pop’s. Archie was about to walk in when he caught a glimpse of them through the window. They were completely absorbed in one another and didn’t notice him, but he noticed them.

Archie noticed the way that Jughead was smiling, brighter than he had ever seen his friend smile.

He noticed how Betty was laughing in pure joy at something Jughead had said. Betty was always happy, but sitting there with Jughead, she looked radiant.

Archie noticed how animated Jughead was and how he was using one hand to gesture wildly while the other held Betty’s on the table.

He noticed how both of them were looking at each other, like they were the only two people in the world.

Archie turned around and walked away. He had been wrong, so wrong. He knew now that what Betty and Jughead felt for each other was the real deal.

*****

Veronica thought that Betty was using Jughead to make Archie jealous.

After all, the two started “dating” pretty quickly after Betty was turned down by Archie. Betty had claimed to have gotten over him, but Veronica had seen the way that Betty looked at him when he wasn’t looking.

Then, there suddenly was Jughead. Out of nowhere, Betty was hanging out with him instead of Archie and Veronica. She had suspected that Betty was avoiding them because she was still sensitive about all that had happened. So naturally, Veronica was skeptical when Betty and Jughead had shown up holding hands.

It clearly bothered Archie, so Veronica figured that their relationship had served its purpose. She was on her way right now to confront Betty about it and put this crazy scheme to an end.

Betty’s mom answered the door and gestured upstairs with a disapproving look on her face when Veronica asked for Betty. Ignoring her friend’s mom’s dislike of her, she headed upstairs. She was about to knock on the door when she heard Betty talking inside.

“I don’t know Jug, maybe we made a mistake, this just feels wrong…” Veronica froze at the words. Nice of Betty’s mom to let her know that Jughead was hear too. Veronica leaned forward to listen, but when Betty spoke again she realized that she must be on the phone. “No, not us Jughead. Of course not us, that’s the only thing that feels right. What I meant was maybe we made a mistake in telling our friends, you have to admit that they have all been acting weird since we told them…”

“Damn” Veronica whispered under hear breath as what Betty was saying sunk in. There was a long silence, Veronica wished that she could hear what Jughead was saying to Betty. All she knew was that when Betty spoke again, her voice was considerably happier.

“I really like you, you know that….how do you always know what to say to make me feel better?” There was another pause and then Betty’s laugh rang out from inside the door. “I take it back, I hate you.” Veronica found herself smiling despite herself. She had been so caught up in thinking that their relationship was fake that she never stopped to actually look at their relationship. Now she could see how good they were for each other. 

Jughead was always there for Betty, and apparently he was good at comforting her when she needed it. In turn, Veronica thought that Betty was bringing Jughead out of his book and into the real world. Thinking back she realized that Jughead had certainly been a lot more present since he and Betty had started dating.

With a smile, Veronica knocked on the door, determined to make sure that Betty knew that she and Jughead had her blessing.

“Juggie, someone’s here I have to go. I love you too.”

*****

Kevin thought that Jughead wasn’t good enough for Betty. It was nothing against Jughead really, he just thought that Betty was too nice and sweet and Jughead was well…Jughead.

Jughead was an outsider, frequently by choice. He liked to be alone, he was sarcastic and moody. Betty was the exact opposite. She was always so present and she shone like a sunbeam.

Betty needed someone that would appreciate and nurture that light inside of her, not dampen it.

Betty seemed happy enough with Jughead, but Kevin thought that maybe she was choosing to ignore his flaws. Every time Jughead said something sarcastic or teased Betty, Kevin wanted to explode.

Finally having enough, he slid into Jughead’s booth one night, determined to figure out how the boy really felt about Betty.

“What’s up man?” Jughead barely looked up from his laptop. If he was surprised to see that Kevin was sitting with him, he didn’t show it.

“I…um” Kevin hesitated, trying to find the right words. Jughead looked up at him, concern showing in his eyes.

“Is Betty okay?”

“Yes, she’s fine” Kevin assured him, watching as Jughead’s posture relaxed. So, Jughead really did care about Betty, that was a point for him, but Kevin still wasn’t convinced. “She’s actually what I came here to talk to you about.”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you too.” Jughead replied

“Really?” That stopped Kevin in his tracks

“Yes, you and I don’t know each other very well. We’ve both known Betty for a while, but we run in different circles. But you are important to her, I can tell. And I want to get to know you better, because any friend of Betty’s is a friend of mine.”

“I…I would like that” Kevin could barely get the words out he was so shocked. This was not at all how he thought the conversation would go. This was a new side to Jughead that he had never seen before. An honest, caring side. Maybe this is what Betty saw all of the time.

“Also, know that I really care about Betty, and I will do right by her. I also already got the scary dad intimidation speech from Veronica, so you don’t need to bother with that. Veronica is…terrifying, but I don’t need her threats. I will never do anything to hurt Betty.” Jughead said seriously. Kevin smiled, he couldn’t believe how transparent he had been. Jughead probably had known why he was there from the moment he had sat down, but he had played along and made an effort to convince Kevin that he was worthy of Betty.

“You know, I’m beginning to see what Betty sees in you.” Kevin said

“Well, if you figure it out let me know. I’ve been trying to figure out why she choose me of all people and nothing makes sense.” Jughead said it as a joke, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“It’s because you are nice.” Kevin found himself wanting to reassure Jughead.

“Excuse me?” Jughead looked utterly offended

“You try to hide it behind indifference and that rough exterior, but I see you Jughead. Underneath you are really just a nice, sweet, caring person. Just like Betty. I’ve seen it, and there’s nothing you can do to convince me otherwise.” Kevin said with a grin.

“Then, I guess I’m just going to have to kill you.” Jughead smiled back, “I can’t have you exposing my secret.”

“I’d like to see you try” Kevin said with a laugh, marveling at the turn of the conversation. Jughead really was a completely different person once you took the time to get to know him. Kevin, like the rest of the school had written him off as an antisocial freak. But Betty, sweet Betty, had taken the time that others hadn’t. 

Maybe they were perfect for each other and maybe they weren’t, but Kevin saw now that they were more alike than he thought. Betty had gotten to know Jughead and had liked what she had seen. The least Kevin could do was give him a chance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> can i prompt you a add on to the five friends not believing in bughead? probably with jughead being the central focus --- i just really want to hear his side of the phone call aha
> 
> Requested by http://juggycooper.tumblr.com/

Jughead was at his usual booth at Pop’s when his phone rang. He answered it immediately when he saw that it was Betty. Anyone else he probably would’ve let it go to voicemail since he was in the middle of writing, but he would always answer when it was Betty.

“Hi Betts” Jughead answered with a smile.

“Hi Juggie” His smile faded when he heard the sadness in her voice.

“What’s wrong? Do you want me to come over?” Jughead was already saving his document and shutting down his computer.

“No, no, I just wanted to hear your voice”

“Betty, tell me what’s going on.” Jughead said gently, he was outside of Pop’s now.

“I don’t know Jug, maybe we made a mistake, this just feels wrong…” Betty said softly with a sniff. Jughead froze where he was, a sense of dread filling his stomach.

“You think we are a mistake?” He couldn’t believe that Betty was about to break up with him over the phone. He had thought things were going really well between them, how could he have misread the signs so badly?

“No, not us Jughead. Of course not us, that’s the only thing that feels right. What I meant was maybe we made a mistake in telling our friends, you have to admit that they have all been acting weird since we told them…” Betty hurried to reassure him. Jughead breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the curb outside of Pop’s, attempting to get his breath back.

“I think we just took them by surprise Betts, they all have to wrap their heads around it. But what we have is powerful and real, and I know that eventually they will all see that. It may take them a little while, but we aren’t going anywhere. We have all the time in the world to help them see our side. I think we can even get Alice Cooper to see how perfect we are for each other. Because we are perfect for each other. You know that and I know that, and at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.” Jughead spoke slowly, wanting to make sure that he got all of the words right. He had also noticed their friend’s odd behavior, and hated how much he could see it bothering Betty.

“I really like you, you know that….how do you always know what to say to make me feel better?”

“I’ve had a lot of experience dealing with overly emotional and dramatic people” Jughead said smiling into the phone.

“I take it back, I hate you.” Betty said laughing.

“And I love you Betty Cooper” Jughead laughed back. There was a pause on the other end before Betty responded,

“Juggie, someone’s here I have to go. I love you too.”

“Okay, by Betts, call me later” Jughead hung up the phone and headed back into Pop’s. If he weren’t so concerned with his mysterious persona he probably would’ve skipped to his booth, he felt as light as air. Talking to Betty always had that effect on him.

*****

*Bonus*

“Hello Mr. Jones” Jughead looked up in shock to find Alice Cooper sliding elegantly into his booth. It was odd to see her in Pop’s, let alone sitting across from him.

“Mrs. Cooper” Jughead closed his computer and pushed it aside so he could give the mother of the girl he loved his full attention. His immediate shock had faded away and he had to admit that he had been expecting this for a while. He knew that Alice didn’t approve of him and he was actually surprised that it had taker her so long to come warn him off of her precious, perfect daughter.

“So, I’ve heard that you’ve been…seeing my daughter” Alice got right down to business

“That’s right”

“She didn’t tell me herself of course. I had to hear it from Mrs. Lewis who saw you two holding hands walking down main street. I asked her and she denied it, so I decided to come down and talk to you.”

“Talk to me about what?” Jughead faced innocence. He knew exactly why Alice Cooper was there.

“About breaking up with my daughter.”

“Mrs. Cooper, I care about your daughter, why would I break up with her?”

“Because you know and I know that you are not good enough for her.” Alice Cooper got straight to the point, hitting him where she knew it would hurt.

“That may be true,” Jughead said slowly, “But she isn’t the perfect girl that you try to force her to be. She is amazing and kind and beautiful, but she makes mistakes just like anyone else. And I am the one person in her life who embraces that and let’s her be who she really is. I let her complain and rant and lose control every now and again. You hold onto her perfect image so tightly, you suffocate her. Being with me allows her to breathe.” Jughead knew that these words wouldn’t help Alice like him, but he also knew that it needed to be said. He was sick and tired of the way that Alice treated Betty.

“How dare you.” Alice stood up and stood threateningly over Jughead. “You have no right to be dating my daughter and you have no right to say those things to me.”

“Mom!” Both Jughead and Alice jumped in surprise and turned to see Betty standing behind Alice, glaring at her mother. She stalked over and pointed at the booth Alice had just vacated. “Sit mother” Betty sat down next to Jughead and simply stared at her mom. Alice gave in with a sigh, sitting down.

“Elizabeth Cooper, I am extremely disappointed in you.” Alice Cooper looked between the two of them.

“And I’m disappointed in you mom. How dare you come in here and threaten and insult my boyfriend” Betty’s voice had an icy tone that Jughead hadn’t heard before.

“Yesterday you told me that you weren’t seeing this boy.” Alice waved her hand in Jughead’s direction.

“His name is Jughead mom, and I didn’t tell you because I knew this was how you’d react. How can I tell you things when I know that you will never understand.”

“You’re right Elizabeth, I don’t understand. You are so beautiful and kind, you could have any boy that you want, and you choose him.” Jughead noticed that Alice was avoiding looking at him or saying his name, like she was above it all.

“Yes, I choose him. If you got off of your high horse and stopped judging people for a second, you could see how happy jughead makes me. You could see that he is a sweet, caring boy, who cares about me and whom I can be myself with. I love being with him mom, he is good to me.” Jughead stared in awe at Betty as she spoke. He couldn’t believe that she was saying those things about him. She looked at him and gave him a smile, reaching for his hand under the table.

“Betty…” Both teens turned to face the older woman. She had spoken in a considerably softer tone and was looking at both of them with an odd expression on her face. “I didn’t realize…I never thought…”

“What mom?” Betty held Jughead’s hand tightly, but that was the only thing that gave away her nerves.

“You really care about him, don’t you?”

“Yes” Betty said simply

“And you about her?” Alice asked Jughead, her tone slightly more intense, but still vacant of the harshness of earlier.

“More than you can imagine, Mrs. Cooper” Jughead said firmly. Alice sighed and looked from Jughead to Betty.

“Then I suppose…I mean I’ll try…to keep an open mind.” Alice finally conceded, it wasn’t much, but Betty gave her mom a smile that lit up all of the diner.

“Thank you mom, I can’t tell you how much this means to me”

“To us” Jughead corrected. Alice turned back to him and gave him a small smile.

“I’m giving you a chance…Jughead…but hear me now, if you hurt her, I will make you regret it for the rest of your life.”

“Mom…” Betty sighed

“It’s okay Betts, that’s just a mom’s job. You don’t have to worry about that Mrs. Cooper. I would never do anything to hurt Betty.” Jughead said, squeezing Betty’s hand.

“Good.” Apparently satisfied, Alice gave them a nod and left. Betty relaxed against Jughead as soon as her mom was out the door. He released their hands so he could put his arm around her.

“Thank goodness that’s over” Betty murmured

“I think she likes me” Jughead said, planting a kiss on Betty’s forehead.

“I’d say tolerate is a more appropriate word.” Betty smiled up at him. This time, he placed a kiss on her lips.

“It’s a start.” Jughead said softly, kissing her again. He made a silent vow to prove himself worthy of that incredible girl’s love every second of every day.


End file.
